1. Field of the Invention
A solar heater of the floating passive type is provided for use in heating pool water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the large investment that a swimming pool owner makes in his pool it is desirable to extend the use of the pool into the spring and fall seasons as much as possible. Many heaters are available that use oil and gas but the cost of operation has become prohibitive.
Various types of solar heaters have been proposed, many of which are permanent installations with coils of pipe and which require pumps to effectively circulate the heated water since gravity systems are not satisfactory, and which are therefore expensive to operate.
Other expedients have been attempted such as using a pool cover for heat collection as shown in the U.S. Pat. to Yellot, No. 3,072,920 which cover includes a sheet of plastic material with a reflective surface on one side and an absorptive surface on the other with a plurality of air pockets formed by a mattress like arrangement attached thereto. The cover is supposed to reflect or to collect heat depending on which surface is presented to the sun. The cover is difficult to use, must be removed from the pool before the pool can be used, is expensive as it must be custom made for each pool and is not energy efficient.
The U.S. Pat. to Smith, No. 3,893,443 illustrates a floating solar pool heater of the pan type with a top cover and a flat dish or pan attached thereto, with interior surfaces painted black to absorb the sun's rays and pass them to the water. The Smith structure is rectangular in configuration which limits its use in many pools, does not provide for efficient heat collection and transmission to the water, and suffers from other shortcomings.
The U.S. Pat. to Roberts, No. 4,022,187 shows a floating solar heater for swimming pools which covers the entire surface of the pool and includes a plurality of air filled units each including a top and bottom panel of plastic material with the top panel transparent and the bottom sheet or panel opaque, the bottom sheet being carried by a rigid frame. The Roberts structure is awkward to use, must be custom fitted to each pool, must be removed from the pool before the pool can be used, is not energy efficient and suffers from other shortcomings.
The U.S. Pat. to Leitner, No. 4,033,326 shows an inflatable solar collector for swimming pools which includes a plurality of heating sections each having an upper transparent portion and a lower portion for absorption. When inflated the upper and lower portions intersect at at least two locations so that the angles therebetween are about 40.degree. to 70.degree.. The Leitner structure is expensive, bulky, awkward to use, requires a source of air for inflation before use, is not energy efficient and suffers from other shortcomings.
The U.S. Pat. to Mallet, No. 4,090,496 illustrates compounds for forming bodies for heat generation from light and solar panels therefor. The Mallet structure illustrates heaters formed of the compounds described therein including, in FIGS. 3 and 4, dome like collector panels with plates 31 or 41 molded of the compound with a transparent dome 32 or 43 attached thereto at the edges. The device of FIG. 3 is supposed to float on the top surface of the water while the device of FIG. 4 is submerged. The Mallet structures are costly to manufacture, awkward to use, subject to water leaks, and the embodiments, other than that of FIG. 3, must be taken out of the water before the pool can be used and suffer from other shortcomings.
The U.S. Pat. to Acker, No. 4,146,015 illustrates a solar pool heater which includes a submersible tubular ring attached to the perimeter of a floating sheet. The sheet has a plurality of captive air bubbles for floatation while insulating the water surface from ambient air. The sheet is transparent to supposedly allow the sun's rays to pass through and heat the water. The Acker structure is awkward to use, expensive, must be custom fitted to each pool, must be removed from the pool before the pool can be used, is not energy efficient and suffers from other shortcomings.
The pool heater of my invention is inexpensive, does not require removal from the pool for pool use, can be used in pools of varying configurations and is energy efficient.